Corona Devotionals

Don't mind the mess today...and-- what's at the heart of it? The other day, it was just after 7 A.M., and I popped my head out our backdoor, which leads into our garage, and said good-bye to one of my people leaving for the day.  Two had already left for school, another was getting ready, and my husband was leaving to begin his morning walk.  I waved to encourage him, and as he disappeared from the driveway I lingered for a moment in the quiet, just staring. When I refocused my eyes and myself, I saw an inflatable cactus resting in the mess of our garage, and it made me realize: there will be messiness in the ministry of life, and that's just fine. ~~~ What is our ministry today?  Where, how, and to whom are we living-out faith?  Who are we sharing God's Word and Law with?   The inflatable cactus propped up in the (organized) chaos of our garage seemed to smile back at me and say, "It's okay when things aren't perfect."   And Friends, it is ...

Since we are gathered here: you and me , I wanted to give you a 'Pop It.'  Have you seen these?  They are rubbery things (toys?), and they have bubbles on them that can be pushed in...and pushed out.  Go ahead, push all of the bubbles in one row in. And then you can push the same bubbles from the opposite side, and they pop back out.   Try it--'Pop Its' are fun to pop.  Relaxing even.   Some people have found that 'Pop Its' are useful when we are worried, anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed, but I like to press on them any old time, and not just when I'm stressed.   How about you?... Here: I am giving you one.  Push a rubber bubble or two.   See?   It is (somehow) satisfying, isn't it? Now--w hat are some of our worries? Come on...don't be shy.   Go ahead...let's share.  You shout out some "worries" and I will jot them down for us.  Who wants to start?   Ahhh, there we go: You in the b...

Do we feel unsatisfied today?  Unfulfilled?   Perhaps we are not fully focusing on the Lord and His agenda, and we have gotten off-(His)-course, and we've been too much on ours.   Except--there's no full -fillment in our efforts-for-self, just full-attempts without full-fruition.   Perhaps the Lord is telling (disciplining) us through his Word today to    " switch the field ". In soccer, when a player "switches the field", it means that they make a long pass or place a big-kicked-ball across the field and thus, they move the action/play/center/pressure from one place (side) of the field into an entirely (and opposite) new one, often where far fewer players are.  They "switch the field", and hopefully find the feet of one of their teammates for a breakaway to the goal! The Lord speaks to the prophet Haggai, and God basically tells Haggai to tell the people of Israel ( God's  people), and their leaders that they have gotten off track ...

“There are those who curse their fathers  and do not bless their mothers;  (12)  those who are pure in their own eyes  and yet are not cleansed of their filth;  (13)  those whose eyes are ever so haughty,  whose glances are so disdainful;  (14)  those whose teeth are swords  and whose jaws are set with knives t o devour the poor from the earth  and the needy from among mankind.   ~Proverbs 30:11-14 ~~ There are those ... Lord, I thought of many people when I read these verses.   "Those."   There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers... (Proverbs 30:11). Some people curse their dads, and do not thank or bless their moms.  They are ungrateful.  Entitled.  Expectant.  Lazy and spoiled.  Some young, and some old enough to know much better...we can think of some of those. ~~~ (12) those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed ...